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The flying boat played a significant role in World War II maritime operations, with various models serving different allied forces in multiple capacities. Notable among these was the Consolidated Vultee PBY Catalina, known as the “Cat,” with over 3,300 units built. The Royal Air Force (RAF) operated the Short Sunderland, and the Royal Netherlands Navy flew Dornier seaplanes in the Pacific region.
Flying boats were crucial in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, performing long-range reconnaissance, anti-submarine patrols, surface ship raiding, and search and rescue operations. According to the statement: “The navies of all allied forces relied on intelligence and resupply missions from flying boats to support their surface and submarine fleets. The reconnaissance reports of RAF and US Navy seaplanes would be crucial to the movements of warships, and the anti-submarine weapons carried aboard were vital to defending both armed vessels and merchant ships carrying troops and supplies to the battle front.”
The RAF's Sunderland crews were dispatched to counter German U-boats, while Brazilian Catalinas managed to sink a U-199. The American Catalinas also contributed significantly, targeting the battleship Bismarck and other surface raiders. The document states: "Luftwaffe floatplanes failed in reciprocal roles due to inadequate range and performance. The Black Cat squadrons, painted matte black and armed with parachute flares, stalked Tokyo Express barges off Bougainville, claiming 112,700 tons of enemy shipping sunk or damaged between December 1942 and June 1944."
